KEPR-TV is a television station licensed to Pasco, Washington, serving the Tri-Cities area of Southeastern Washington, which includes Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick. It operates as an affiliate of the CBS television network and is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on North Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick, while its transmitter is situated on Rattlesnake Mountain.
History KEPR-TV first signed on the air on July 24, 1954, originally operating as a satellite station of KIMA-TV in Yakima, Washington. Both stations were owned by Cascade Broadcasting Company. It was initially known as KEPR-TV and served to extend the reach of KIMA-TV's CBS programming into the Tri-Cities market. Over the decades, KEPR-TV transitioned from being a direct satellite to operating with more local autonomy, developing its own local news and programming specific to the Tri-Cities.
In 1999, Cascade Broadcasting sold KIMA-TV and KEPR-TV to Retlaw Enterprises, a company owned by the descendants of Walt Disney. Retlaw later sold its stations to Fisher Communications in 2007. Under Fisher ownership, KEPR-TV continued to operate as a CBS affiliate and enhance its local presence. In 2013, Fisher Communications was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group, making KEPR-TV part of Sinclair's portfolio of local television stations.
Programming KEPR-TV primarily broadcasts the full CBS network schedule, including its national news programs, primetime shows, and sports coverage. The station also produces its own local newscasts covering the Tri-Cities region, providing daily updates on local news, weather, and sports. In addition to its main CBS channel, KEPR-TV operates digital subchannels that carry other programming. Its second digital subchannel is typically affiliated with MyNetworkTV, offering a secondary schedule of syndicated programming and network content. A third digital subchannel often carries The CW Plus, providing programming from The CW network.
Operations KEPR-TV operates closely with other Sinclair-owned stations in the market, including KVEW, the ABC affiliate licensed to Kennewick, and sometimes coordinates with KIMA-TV in the neighboring Yakima market, although KIMA-TV is the primary CBS station for its own market. This operational model allows for shared resources and optimized production for local news and other programming across the region.